Stage production in A Doll s House. Austin Brown Josh Broas Jonathan Idiarte Dung Banh Kwabena

Transcription

1 Stage production in A Doll s House Austin Brown Josh Broas Jonathan Idiarte Dung Banh Kwabena

2 Early Beginnings 1879 first production at the Royal theater in Copenhagen Started on December 21, in order to coincide with Christmas time Series of productions December 23, 24, 28 and 4th of January 1880 Had symmetrical furniture and was very naturalistic to give it an abstract feel It is winter. A bell rings in the hall; shortly afterwards the door is heard to open. Enter NORA, humming a tune in high spirits (2185) Took almost two years for the play to be performed outside of Norway/ Germany Helmer: Hasn t Miss sweet tooth been breaking rules in town today?... Nora: No, Torvald

3 Early Beginnings 1880 alternative ending(opening version in Germany) Hedwigg Niemann-Raabe, a well known actor, played Nora She refused to leave the family because she couldn t believe a mom would do that Isben wanted to write the alternative ending himself In alternate ending she goes to her children s bedroom door and sinks to the floor Reverted back to original text Sinks down on a chair by the door (2233) From below, the sound of a door slamming shut (2233)

4 Northern Germany Production 6 February 1880: Flensburg, Germany first production with Helene Schneider and Fritz Schonnemann was a success Alternate ending performed in Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover German actress Hedwig Niemann-Raabe changed the play s ending Refuse to play Nora because of the abandonment of Children Changes: Nora stays/happy Ending Results: Protest in Residenztheater many viewers called the ending a Distortion of the Play

5 Northern Germany Production Alternate Ending Original Play Nora:.. Well now it's all over Helmer: (Sinks down on a chair by the door face buried in his hands) Nora! Nora!(Looking about and rising) Empty, she s gone From below the sound of a door slamming shut (Ibsen 2233) German play Nora [trembling]. Motherless...! Helmer. As you once were. Nora. Motherless! [Struggles with herself, lets her travelling bag fall, and says.] Oh, this is a sin against myself, but I cannot leave them. [Half sinks down by the door.] Helmer [joyfully, but softly]. Nora!

6 Northern Germany Production I can t be concerned about that. I only know how essential this is. (3, 2231) Nora leaves to become someone more than a doll.

7 Chinese Production Premiere: 1-11 April 1998, at Central Experimental Theatre, Beijing Director: Wu Xiaojiang Setting: 1930s China Characters: All characters except Nora strictly spoke Chinese Nora: played by Norwegian actress speaking both English and Chinese (playdoll) Torvald: played by chinese actor speaking chinese (rich man) Krogstad: provides comic relief by mixing pidgin english with chinese Drama: Focuses on the relationship between a husband and wife and how a particularly perfect family can fall into pieces. Connection with Audience: In an age of materialism, why would a woman want to leave her rich husband for something else?

8 Chinese Production Chinese culture was heavily reflected in this play presenting a clash in cultures. Nora represented a western, more liberal culture that was starting to introduce more women s rights relative to the chinese man that represented a conservative Chinese culture in where men were predominant and acted as the only voice for the family. Nora leaves because she feels she is too western for the Chinese man and is parallel to China s cultural aspect of Chinese women being seen with male westerners more than Chinese men with female westerners.

9 Chinese Production maybe - if your doll gets taken away (3, 2232) Nora leaves to escape hollow marriage

10 Modern Productions 2003 production produced by Lee Breuer Setting is in a dollhouse Male characters were played by dwarves MRS. LINDE: "I only feel my life unspeakably empty. No one to live for anymore." This version contrasts from the stereotype of women serving men ''To have a successful relationship, every man and woman has to play out the third act of Ibsen's drama.'' - Lee Breuer

11 Modern Productions A Doll s House Play Modernizes the play, and sets the time period in the mid to late 1900s Similar style to the original, but changes things like Nora having a job MRS. LINDE: "What a difference! Someone to work for and live for a home to bring comfort into." Depicts how social order is determined by economic class Nils and Kristine see a job as a link to social stability Fights for women gaining respect in the workplace, instead of women s suffrage

12 Modern Productions Recent production at the Young Vic Theatre (2013) One of the most melodramatic interpretations An intense emotional thriller Ian MacNeil s set is like a spinning doll s house come to life Hattie Morahan s Nora offers a piercing study in desperation. -Sunday Express Feminist acceptance Nora as an iconic symbol for women fighting for liberation and equality Presents the idea that Nora s dilemma, doesn t just apply to women, it is applicable to both genders

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14 Sequels/Parodies of A Doll s House How Nora Returned Home Again: An Epilogue (M.J. Bugge) Breaking a Butterfly (Henry Arthur Jones and Henry Herman) March 3, 1884 Premiered at the Prince s Theatre in London Nora becomes Flora Torvald becomes Humphrey Goddard Humphrey behave more like a hero Flora is ashame of being useless Opposite of original A Doll s House A Doll s House Repaired (Isreal Zangwill and Eleanor Marx) A sequel where Nora returns to Helmer Nora return in a mood of great contrition and despair In the end Helmer slams the bedroom door on Nora

15 Sequels/Parodies of A Doll s House Where did Nora go? (Ernst Bruun Olsen) Published in 1969 German translation by Udo Birkholz Folk Comedy in Three Acts Performed in Saarbrucken four years later Mommy s Home: Sequel to A Doll s House (Troy Hencely) A short comedy Published April 19, 2012 Nora returns home after slamming the door She finds Torvald and the kids doing fine and is distressed

16 Work Citation Tornqvist, Egil. "Ibsen: A Doll's House." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept Hencely, Troy. "Mommy's Home: Sequel to a Doll's House." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 22 Sept Schaefle, Tara. "Menu." Theater 271. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept "A Doll s House A Performance History of the Play." A Doll s House A Performance History of the Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept "A Doll's House - Official Trailer - Available Now from Digital Theatre."YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 22 Sept